Efficient mosquito repellent With grapefruits against malaria infections

Research on grapefruit ingredient as mosquito repellent
Can grapefruit be used as a mosquito repellent? A team of students from the Heinrich Heine University of Düsseldorf (HHU) and the University of Cologne is looking for a mosquito repellent that is also affordable for people in poorer countries. An active ingredient from grapefruit is in the focus of research.

As part of the international iGEM competition, students are looking for an effective mosquito repellent that can be produced inexpensively and has as few harmful side effects as possible. This could also help in the prevention of malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases. Their approach is based on the use of an active ingredient from the grapefruit peel.

Is an ingredient from the grapefruit peel usable as a mosquito repellent? Students from the Universities of Cologne and Dusseldorf are investigating this question. (Image: ExQuisine / fotolia.com)

Contribute to the containment of malaria infections?
For the iGEM competition, the participants have to independently initiate a project in the field of synthetic biology, whereby the projects should be based on current topics. "The overriding goal of the competition is to educate the world about the possibilities of Synthetic Biology and to improve it with the projects," reports the HHU. In their research project, the students of the Universities of Cologne and Dusseldorf are dedicated to the development of a mosquito repellent, also against the background that this could contribute to the containment of malaria infections.

Billions of people get infected
"Malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases affect well over three billion people worldwide," HHU explains the implications of the project. The majority of deaths from malaria infection are reported in Africa, according to WHO (90% of cases in 2015). In addition, malaria is also a problem in Southeast Asia (7 percent of deaths) and the eastern Mediterranean region (2 percent of deaths). While some progress has been made in controlling malaria, "chemical measures used to protect people from stings are either too expensive or pose a significant health risk," according to the HHU Communication.

Active ingredient from the grapefruit peel
According to the HHU, for some time now a molecule has gained more and more attention in the fight against malaria, which is very effective in fighting mosquitoes and ticks, as well as being environmentally friendly and, above all, harmless to humans. This so-called nootkatone is found in the grapefruit peel and is responsible for the characteristic odor of the fruit, the university reports. So far, the mass production of "the smelling mosquito repellent" but blocked by the enormous production costs.

Cost-effective production of the drug's goal
According to the HHU, nootkatone still needs to be extracted from the grapefruit fruit peel, where it is found in very small quantities, and biotechnological production is currently not possible. Because the substance harms the microorganisms used in the synthesis of biotechnological production and kill them before significant amounts nootkatone can be produced, the University reports. In the current project, the students' team is therefore trying to "integrate an artificial compartment into microorganisms where the production of nootkatone can occur without affecting the life cycle of the cells."

Other active ingredients will be easier to produce in the future?
If the students succeed, this could not only help in the development of a new mosquito repellent. Because "the production of many other substances faces the same problems as nootkatone," says René Inckemann, a student at HHU and head of the team. Here, researchers see great potential for the application of their artificial compartment in other areas, such as the production of taxol, which is used in cancer therapy.

For a year, the participating teams were able to plan their idea and put it into practice as part of the iGEM competition. They had to organize both the scientific part in the laboratory, as well as the funding by sponsors themselves. Until November 2017, researchers will have time to work on their project before presenting the findings at the big gathering of all iGEM teams in Boston, USA. (Fp)